Hospitality
Although Meng Zheng did not bring any servants when he came to Cang County, judging from the number of servants coming and going in the mansion at this moment, he should have gathered all of them.
But I don’t know whether it is his or has always been part of this mansion.
The maid leading the way walked briskly. Although the road in the mansion was winding, she was still very familiar with it and led Jiang Nian to the reception room.
Standing outside the door, the maid gave a few instructions to the servant who came to open the door, then left, leaving Jiang Nian alone outside.
The air in the mountains was clear and the water was gurgling. Jiang Nian stood outside the carved window and faintly heard the clear sound of a stream passing by.
The birdsong is melodious and pleasant, and the surrounding gardens are filled with delightful scenery.
Jiang Nian didn't know much about garden settings, but even so, at a glance, he could feel that the layout here was carefully prepared and arranged.
After the maid left, the corridor fell into silence. Apart from the natural white noise, there was no other sound.
Thinking about how he didn't even look to the side when he entered the mansion, he didn't know if Xiao Yingzhu would be unhappy.
After all, I didn't even say hello to him, so it didn't look good no matter how I looked at it.
Jiang Nian's hand that was pushing the door paused. She lowered her eyes to look at the faint shadows shining through the carved window panes, then smiled self-deprecatingly, and the expression in her eyes returned to normal.
Xiao Yingzhu probably doesn't want to see her now.
If she thinks this way now, it would be a bit self-deceptive.
Since the other party is not bothered by these emotional matters, why should she worry about things related to him?
Thinking of this, Jiang Nian calmed down, adjusted the expression on his face, and calmly pushed open the door of the reception room.
—
Qin Lan followed the attendant and looked at the almost identical scenery along the corridor. He thought for a moment, took a few quick steps forward, and started a conversation with the attendant.
"Who designed this mansion? It's truly a delight to the eyes."
Meng Zheng probably wouldn't bring out all the servants who usually serve him. That would be too much of a fuss and would easily alert the enemy.
The servants here were supposed to live here.
Maybe we can find out something extra by asking around.
Qin Lan's smiling eyes fell on the servant's face, and the servant immediately broke out in a sweat. But when he thought of the original owner of this mansion, he was silent for a moment and was no longer as easy to talk to as before.
"Please forgive me, sir. I really don't know and it's hard for me to answer."
"?"
It was just a casual question, but I didn't expect that I actually hit the nail on the head.
Wasn’t it designed by the mansion’s original gardener?
Qin Lan looked at the corridor for a moment, then looked away thoughtfully.
"Are you the Fourth Prince's servant?"
Being stared at directly by Qin Lan, the gazes from inside were ambiguous. The servant couldn't predict what this young man, who had come in so unconventionally, would do. Then, remembering that the rules here did not strictly prohibit concealing one's identity, he shook his head and said:
"I am not a servant of the Fourth Prince, I am a servant of the former owner of the mansion."
Qin Lan slowed down his pace and knocked casually on a door somewhere in the corridor.
It is solid.
"Who is the owner of this mansion?"
"this--"
Not understanding what Qin Lan was trying to do, the servant hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's difficult for me to answer. I hope you will forgive me, sir."
A sharp blade with a cold edge cut off a strand of hair, and the servant's face, which had not yet come to his senses, was reflected on the bright blade.
"Do you find it difficult to answer, or are you unable to answer?"
The dark tassel under the sword swayed slightly left and right due to the force, and the next moment it seemed that a black arc shadow would disappear slightly as its owner slashed upward.
Qin Lan still looked frivolous and nonchalant, as if he didn't care about anything.
He looked at the servant with a smile and curved eyebrows, as friendly as if he were looking at a good friend. If it weren't for the sword in his hand approaching the servant's throat, anyone would have thought that he was sincere and non-aggressive.
“…”
The servant suddenly felt that the countdown of the life-threatening situation was passing quickly, and he came back to his senses from his daze. The knife light reflected a cold and sharp edge in his eyes. The moment he caught a glimpse of the light, the blood in his body rushed back. His legs were weak and he took a few steps back, then knelt down with a plop in fear.
"Please spare my life, sir. I was confused for a moment. I beg for forgiveness. I will never do it again!"
Qin Lan sighed, closed his eyes, put away his sword, leaned forward slightly and stared down at him condescendingly.
"Then let me ask you, why are you taking me for a spin here?"
"I've walked this corridor once, and now it's the second time."
"What are you trying to delay?"
—
Xiao Yingzhu was no longer at the entrance of the mansion.
The housekeeper wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked in the direction where Xiao Yingzhu left with a dazed look on his face.
When the maid in the mansion walked towards the female doctor from the sect, he suddenly felt that Xiao Yingzhu would be impatient to listen to him finish his words.
No one knew what the Fourth Prince's intention was in having him block Duke Xiao outside the door.
However, considering the owner of this mansion, he still took the risk and went to talk to Duke Xiao.
The mountain mansion in Cangjun City is far away from other living areas, and most people don't come here on purpose.
But given that the security of this city is not very high, especially after the Wu Mi people lurked in and infiltrated it, the living environment here has become even more chaotic.
Therefore, under the order of His Majesty, many secret personnel were deployed to guard the periphery of this mansion.
There may be personal guards among them.
Fortunately, Duke Xiao seemed to see the intention of the butler to come to this door to greet him, and finally allowed the butler to talk for a while outside the mansion before slowly walking in.
The front courtyard is illuminated by thick green shades. The road winding into the courtyard is paved under the woods and leads to the residence whose end is invisible from here.
Xiao Yingzhu is not familiar with this place, but he has some impression of it.
Therefore, even if he ignored the servants around him who were trying to lead the way for him, he could still identify the direction of the hall that Meng Zheng mentioned.
—
The room was empty.
To Jiang Nian's surprise, there was no one in the living room.
Meng Zheng, who had called her over, was nowhere to be found.
The wooden floor reflects the bright shadows from the window, and a faint sandalwood scent lingers in the nose.
The surroundings were quiet and empty. Apart from the ordinary tables and chairs, there were a few neatly arranged books leaning against the window frame.
Jiang Nian stood outside the door of the hall and looked at the layout inside with some curiosity. Just as he took a step inside, the carved red lacquered wooden door behind him suddenly closed with a slight sound.
Although the room was unusually quiet, it was also strange when you think about what happened just now.
But perhaps it was the occasional melodious bird calls and the constant gurgling of the stream outside the room that made Jiang Nianwei feel frightened and uneasy.
All doubts and confusion were soothed by this hall filled with the fragrance of books.
No one could tell Jiang Nian what to do at this moment, but Jiang Nian seemed to have a clear goal and direction after seeing the scrolls under the window frame, and walked straight towards there.
The soft and warm sunlight flickered in through the thin window paper. The books still retained the faint scent of ink, and the ink marks on the pages were old, as if they had been written many years ago.
There was no one around, so Jiang Nian didn't bother with etiquette for the time being. He sat down on the mahogany chair next to the bookcase and flipped through the pages one by one in the dim light from the window.
After flipping through it roughly, she turned her head and looked at the cover of the book again.
There are no words on the cover, and it is very clean. Even though it cannot resist the traces left by the years, one can still feel how carefully the owner of this diary takes care of it.
This scroll seems to have been left by the owner of the mansion.
Why did Meng Zheng show these to her?
Jiang Nian put the book back in its place and took another one from the bookshelf to read.
When her eyes fell on a certain place, her gaze suddenly stopped.
—
The 23rd day of January, the 18th year of Qiming.
Today, Meng Sui met a strange man while he was praying. The man was dressed strangely and spoke in a strange way, and he didn't seem to be from Huandu.
The eighteenth year of Qiming, the fifth day of the second month.
That person told me he was from the future. His way of speaking was strange, but for now, I could get along with him. After learning my identity, he wasn't afraid or surprised, nor was he overly respectful... This feeling was very strange.
Yun Ji also recognized him at the Spring Festival Banquet.
…
The 8th day of May, the 20th year of Qiming.
Shouzan said he was a landscape gardener in his time? Interesting! I'll let him design my mansion next time.
Famine has come again. I don't know when it will be resolved.
The 27th day of June, the 20th year of Qiming.
Shouzan said he had a way.
He wanted to establish a sect to save the people.
He had previously spoken of the fallacy that all beings are equal, and I didn't quite believe it, but now seeing how excited he is, I'll just let him go.
January, the 30th year of Qiming.
The bishop was very unfavorable to my father, but my father still pretended to listen to the pope. The sect had helped many people, and now the people were on the sect's side. My father was ready to take action.
Meng Sui tried to persuade his father to relinquish his official position, but there has been no news since then.
April, the 30th year of Qiming.
I will guarantee Shou Zan. If he escapes, I will compensate him.
May, the 30th year of Qiming.
Yun Ji discovered his heart disease, but he still followed Xiao stubbornly.
I understand a little bit, but it is still difficult to understand.
Is love more important than life?
—
The diary ends here.
Judging from the title of the diary and the people mentioned.
The owner of this diary should be the eldest princess of the current dynasty, Meng Zhiye. And Meng Sui should be the current Emperor Changde.
The leader of the sect is Shouzan.
Putting aside other things, Meng Zheng wanted to show her these because of the sect’s stance?
But she had already made it clear before.
Why did he test her again?
Is it because there was a disagreement between the sect and the imperial court back then, and for some reason the sect broke away from the imperial court's control and became an independent faction, so they wanted her to confirm her position?
But this path should not be feasible.
If Meng Zheng had continued to insist on her position, he would have stopped her from taking those notes on her conversation.
Jiang Nian paused with her hand twisting the paper, and suddenly looked at the notebook in her handbag.
The yellow cover is the same style as the book in his hand, and even the writing inside is the same, written from left to right.
She didn't notice anything wrong when she looked at it just now, until she saw the notebook Xiao Yingzhu gave her, she suddenly remembered this problem.
Because she is a modern person, writing from left to right is a writing habit she has had since childhood.
What about the eldest princess?
She is a local.
You shouldn't have this kind of habit.
Unless someone changes her growing habits.
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